Sam and Kira

THIS IS A FICTIONAL TV SHOW FROM AN ALTERNATE TIMELINE

Sam and Kira is an animated comedy television series created by Dan Schneider and aired on Nickelodeon. The series focuses on Sam and Kira, two best friends who have to put up with the trials and tribulations of everyday life. The series ran for five seasons and 103 episodes from April 19, 1997 to May 31, 2003.

Sam and Kira was unique compared to other animated shows of the era in not only showing the characters age, but also showing them change their wardrobe.

Sam and Kira was acclaimed by critics and viewers alike and was a ratings success.

Premise
Sam Shay and Kira Carson are two best friends who have been together since kindergarten. Sam is very careful of her surroundings but can also be goofy at times, while Kira is stone-faced and can sometimes defy the grownups around her.

The pair attend Ridgeway Middle School and later Pacifica High along with their neighbor Freddie Benson, an inventive and somewhat nerdy kid who has a crush on the two of them. His affections towards them is more apparent in earlier episodes.

They live in the fictional Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacifica.

Main

 * Sam Shay (voiced by Amanda Bynes)
 * Kira Carson (voiced by Christina Ricci)
 * Freddie Benson (voiced by Victor Cohn-Lopez)
 * Marcie Shay (voiced by Nicole Sullivan; seasons 1-4)
 * Stephen Shay (voiced by Maurice LaMarche)

Recurring

 * Marissa Benson (voiced by Mary Scheer)
 * Darrin Shay (voiced by Taran Killam)
 * Lewbert Sline
 * Nevel Papperman

Production
After the sketch-comedy series All That gained popularity, Nickelodeon approached producer Dan Schneider about doing an animated series. Schneider refused and was instead interested in doing a live-action series starring All That cast members Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. Despite his ambitions, the network told him that if he didn’t, then they would have to fire him. While reluctant at first, Schneider pitched the idea of a pilot involving two best friends who are forced to watch talent show auditions after making fun of a teacher. Nickelodeon accepted his idea and immediately greenlit the series, named Sam and Kira.

Unlike most Nicktoons at the time, Sam and Kira did not consist of two 11-minute episodes and was much similar to a typical half-hour sitcom. Also despite Schneider creating the series and being heavily involved in the production of the first few episodes, he didn’t have any major contributions to show after the first season and left midway through the second season to create The Amanda Show.

The pilot premiered right after the 1997 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards and became one of the highest rated Nickelodeon broadcasts of that year.

The first season had 21 episodes, while the second season had 23 episodes, the third season had 24, the fourth had 22, and the fifth had 13.

Season 1

 * 1) Pilot (April 19, 1997)
 * 2) San and Kira’s Super Fun Website (September 13, 1997)
 * 3) Detention (September 20, 1997)
 * 4) Crushed Dreams (September 27, 1997)